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Oats versus oats

Ok, who can explain why the steelcut oat are so much better for you. I don't understand, is the hull getting removed in the processing to make rolled oats? Are rolled oats not whole grains?

Wed. Jan 18, 5:17am

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Both rolled oats & steel cut oats are healthy for you!

Both rolled oats & steel cut oats are in the whole-grain family and thus healthy for you!

The instant oats are the ones we should avoid! They're thin, pre-cooked and less nutritious and often have added sodium.

rolled oats = oatmeal = rolled oatmeal = old-fashioned oats = old-fashioned oatmeal = flaked oats = flaked oatmeal = oatflakes Notes: These are oat groats that are steamed, rolled, and flaked so that they cook quickly. They're often cooked as a breakfast cereal, added raw to granola or muesli mixes, or used to make oatmeal cookies. Regular rolled oats take about five minutes to cook. If you're in a hurry, try quick oats or instant oats. These have thinner flakes, so they cook faster. Substitutes: steel-cut oats (chewier, takes longer to cook) OR quick oats (These are less chewy, but they take less time to cook.) OR instant oats (These usually have additional flavorings. They're less chewy, but they take less time to cook.) OR triticale flakes OR rye flakes

steel-cut oats = Irish oats = Scotch oats = pinhead oats = coarse-cut oats = steel-cut oatmeal = Irish oatmeal = Scotch oatmeal = pinhead oatmeal = coarse-cut oatmeal = porridge oats = porridge oatmeal Notes: These are groats that have been chopped into small pieces. They're chewier than rolled oats, and grain aficionados often prefer them for hot oatmeal cereals and muesli. Substitutes: rolled oats (less chewy, takes less time to cook) OR whole oat groats (takes much longer to cook)



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Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 7:03 AM

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Make oatmeal in a crock pot!

I've recently started making oatmeal in a crockpot, to save time in the morning. I like steel-cut oats because they have been through less processing and therefore have more fiber, bran, etc. They also hold their shape when cooked, making a porridge with semi- distinct grains in thick sauce, as opposed to a bowl of mush, like with rolled oats. But who has time to stir porridge for 25 minutes?

I got this recipie from Alton Brown at foodtv.com

1 cup steel cut oats
1/2 cup WHOLE milk
1/4 cup low-fat cultured buttermilk
3 cups water.

Dump it all in the crockpot, cook on low for 8 hours. My crockpot is large (5 quarts), so the oatmeal forms a very shallow layer and has a tendency to dry out and crust over. making a double batch OR adding an extra cup of water seems to prevent this. Using whole milk adds a little richness and staying power, so I'm not as tempted to snack later in the morning.

Makes 4 cups.187 kcal per cup.

Top with raisins or other dried fruit and a splash of FF milk (or more buttermilk).

Leftovers reheat well in the microwave. Add a little water and stir vigorously before nuking.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 2:46 PM

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Quick oats just as fast as instant

I am not a morning person, so when I had an office job I'd eat breakfast at my desk. I found that I could prepare quick oats by pouring boiling water over them and letting them stand for several minutes. then I'd stir in some instant milk powder and some raisins. Aside from the nutritional value of the oats themselves, most instant oatmeal packets are loaded with sugar - and expensive. A "can" of quick oats is cheap and keeps forever.

ps - this trick won't work for rolled oats - just quick oats

Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 2:54 PM

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I looked up nutrition info for the two...here's what I found:

Bob's Redmill Steel Cut Oats:
serving size - 1/4 c dry
calories - 140
fat - 2.5g
carbs - 27g
fiber - 4g
sugars - 0g
protein - 6g
http://www.bobsredmill.com/catalog/index.php?action=showdetails&product_ID=279

Quaker Quick Oats:
serving size - 1/4c dry (note - I cut this in half so it would match the steel cut oats above)
calories - 75
fat - 1.5g
carbs - 13.5g
fiber - 2g
sugars - 0.5g
protein - 2.5g

Quaker Old Fashioned Oats had exactly the same data as Quaker Quick Oats.
http://www.quakeroatmeal.com/Products/SQO/SQO-QuickOats.cfm

The conclusion I reach from this is that steel cut oats are more nutrient-dense. They have more calories and fat per volume, but they also have significantly more protein and fiber, and less sugar - and this is in comparison to unsweetened versions of Quaker. The ones that come prepackaged in little packets are full of sugar. Steel cut oats also are 100% whole grain, which the other oats aren't, so if you're in to that, that's good.

And, in my opinion, steel cut oats taste better - they're not as gelatenous, I can eat them happily without adding sugar, and I can make a whole weeks worth on Sunday night in my crockpot, eat the first serving warm on Monday morning, and reheat the rest in the microwave the rest of the week.

Oh, one more side note: the serving size for all of these is 1/4 c dry...steel cut oats expand a lot as you cook them - you cook them in a ration of 4:1, water:oats. So I haven't actually checked this out, but I think that 1/4 c dry steel cut oats are going to look a lot bigger than 1/4 c dry quick oats when they are cooked. 1/4 c steel cut oats is more than I can eat for breakfast.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 5:46 PM

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To the most recent poster. I really think these must be compared by weight, not volume, as it's possible they are just fluffier than the others. I will investigate.

Thursday, January 19, 2006, 7:38 AM

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Slow cooking oats have a lower gylcemic content which is easier for your body to process and doesn't cause an insulin surge.

Thursday, January 19, 2006, 10:44 AM

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Actually, to the 4th poster, you can also microwave or add boiling water to rolled oats--it's what I do each morning, and it tastes awesome.

Sometimes, I cook it over the stove, and yes, it tastes better that way, but when I am in a rush, it tastes fine microwaving the (not 1-minute) old-fashioned oatmeal.

Thursday, January 19, 2006, 11:34 AM

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4th poster here -

I started doing boiling water because I kept making oatmeal volcanos in the microwave (I like it thick, which makes it hard for little bubbles to escape - so they join together into one giant one). I come back into the breakroom and find half my breakfast plastered to the walls of the microwave.

Not a good way to start the day.

Thursday, January 19, 2006, 1:53 PM

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Jan 19th poster- what do you mean by this- do other oats cause a rush in insulin?

Saturday, November 11, 2006, 7:51 PM

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Nutritional Information Comparison

Actually, in the comparison of Bob's Redmill Steel Cut Oats vs. Quaker Quick Oats, you shouldn't have cut the Quaker serving size in 1/2 to get an accurate comparison. Steel cut oats expand much more than rolled oats, so it takes more rolled oats to make an equivalent serving size. 1/4 c. of steel cut oats makes a full, hearty bowl of oatmeal, but it takes 1/2 c to 3/4 cup to create an equivalent "serving" of rolled oats (and if you look on the Quaker Old Fashioned Oatmeal box you'll see that they actually recommend a serving and a half of Old Fashioned Oats, or a full cup dry, for "Heart Health", whereas 1/4 c. of steel cup oats dry is sufficient.)

This is one of the reasons that steel cut oats are not as expensive as they look... because it takes less to make a serving. The extra fiber and bulk created by the smaller portion also adds to a more satisfying sense of fullness when you eat steel cut oats vs. rolled oats.


Wednesday, December 20, 2006, 4:27 PM

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MUESLI vs granola

One thing to keep in mind is the amount of sugar in the products. In my experience granola has a pile and variety of sugars, and muesli has less. But granola tastes better!

Sunday, April 22, 2007, 10:07 AM

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comparing oats nutrient value

You can't compare 1/4 cup rolled oats to 1/4 cup steel cut. The steel cut are a much larger portion of the oat. That's why they require more than 2X the water! The only equal comparison is serving to serving, and that's 1/2 cup rolled to 1/4 cup steel cut. So, yes, they're pretty similar nutritionally.

Friday, April 04, 2008, 6:24 PM

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So...does regualr, plain quaker oatmeal qualify as steel cut oats?

Saturday, April 05, 2008, 10:06 AM

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a crock pot is not a rice cooker.

I agree that the steel cut are much less gelatinous, and therefore taste much better.

Saturday, April 05, 2008, 10:18 PM

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hi 10:06- regular Quaker isn't "steel cut". In my experience, steel cut oats say so on the packaging & they're less "flake'ish" than regular Quaker. Bob's Red Mill is a popular brand of steel cut oats & can be found at a Whole Foods-type store.

I have 2 questions:
1. re: "quick oats" (plain, no sugar, in a cylander) - are these nutritionally lacking in the same way that the little packets of instant oatmeal are?

2. how to cook in a crockpot w/o using milk?

Sunday, April 06, 2008, 8:48 AM

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-8:48

1. Good question
2. Good question too

- HEY what is the deal? I love my quaker quick oats every morning - I wanted to try Steel cut - but the ones at Trader joes take 30 mins to cook! THIRTY MINUTES ! ! Dammit ! I wanted to eat those too ! Now what can I do ? No that crock pot idea is a crock - my wife would KILL me if I did that every night! Are my quick oats bad ? They are the "ROCK" of my diet plan!

GRRRRRRRR!

Monday, April 07, 2008, 10:39 AM

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another question: are quick oats "rolled oats"? i have a recipe which calls for rolled oats and i only have quick ones...

Monday, April 07, 2008, 10:59 AM

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in a recipe you can use quick for rolled oats.

As to the length of time steel cut takes: buy medium cut scotch oats. It's kinda like the groat is cut into three pieces instead of two. You can put some in a glass bowl, pour boiling water over top, nuke for 3 minutes, stir, nuke for another three minutes, and then mine are always done. You don't need to spend 30 minutes cooking them...


Monday, April 07, 2008, 12:26 PM

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oats

We buy steel cut oats. I can't believe we have ever eaten rolled oats. Steele cut tastes so good. Yes, it does take a half hour to cook. What we do is cook it the day before. A batch makes about 4 servings. Put it in the fridge and micrwave it in the morning. Yumm!

Wednesday, April 09, 2008, 5:42 PM

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New ! - INSTANT STEEL CUT OATS ! - You'll love'em !

I just can't imagine - - I really want to do steel cut - but geez - no way:

1. Make a week's worth for the fridge ?
2. Use the crock pot and wash in the morning ?
3. spend 30 minutes stirring every night ?

Can't I like put them in a coffe grinder or something to make them cook fast ?

Where is the INSTANT STEEL CUT oats ? ? What - Quaker or Bob's can't buy a huge grinder machine or something for this ?

ahh wait a minute - here's something....

http://www.mccanns.ie/pages/products.html

anyone tried it?

Wednesday, April 09, 2008, 6:15 PM

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Thermos Cooking Steel Cut Oats

Check this link out
http://www.edgarcayce.org/th/tharchiv/therapies/oats.html

You do this the night before. Your actual time at the stove is about 5 minutes. Basically, you're using a thermos as a slow cooker, without the electricity expenditure or large volume needed when using a crock pot. I like to throw in some chopped dried fruit and it plumps up nicely. Nuts, spices, etc can be added during cooking or after. I think you could substitute some of the water with milk for more nutrition. I also have one of those wide-mouth funnels for canning that works great for getting the food from saucepan to bottle. This is good to make for a hiking meal too.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008, 7:31 PM

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Add ground flaxmeal for an extra nutty taste and a boost of heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids.

Thursday, April 17, 2008, 3:59 PM

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TJ's oats...

I put oats and water in pot in reefer night before. Soaks up water and cooks easier.

Has anyone found out how not to burn oats when cooking? Only way I've done this is to cook in crockpot.

Monday, October 13, 2008, 10:59 AM

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Oats and extras....

I add 3 tbsp ground flax seed, almonds or walnuts and fruit. Keeps me not hungry for hours.

Monday, October 13, 2008, 11:01 AM

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No cook oats

Yes I have found a way not to burn oatmeal. I bring water to a boil and add the oats, put on the lid and shut off the heat. In about and hour you will have cooked oats with no mess.
Also I cook enough to last a week. For two people two cups of steel cut oats and 7 cups of water will last us one week. I store the cooked oatmeal in a tupperware in the fridge and take out a portion every morning and heat in a microwave.

Sunday, January 04, 2009, 10:08 PM

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30 min to cook steel cut oats... not i mcfly

Following the instructions on the bag is a good place to start BUT yeah 30 mins... So this is what i do:

1/2 Cup Steel cut oats
1 cup water
1 cup milk

Optional for flavor:
1 tsp butter
3 drops of almond extract
1 tbl of dry roasted flax seeds
a generous sprinkling of chai

Put everything in a minimum 6 cup bowl and cook in the microwave on high for 10min
personally i go take a shower while all this cooks cause by the time i'm done it's been sitting in the microwave 10mins cooling off. :)

Wednesday, January 21, 2009, 1:04 PM

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nutritional value steel cut vs old-fashioned rolled (not instant)

I've been eating steel cut and old fashioned rolled(not instant) for about 3 years. The nutritional value for each per serving is exctaly the same. 40g steel cut = 1/4 cup 40g rolled(not instsant) = 1/2 cup. I just looked at the bag of Bob's steel cut and a container of rolled and the nutrients are the same. The differnece is only in the cooking time and the texture. The rolled can be prepared in 2 minutes in the microwave. Use a scant cup of water to 1/2 cup(40g). The steel cut as it says on Bob's bag can be precooked the night before and then it take 10 minutes in the morning. We like both types of oatmeal, and are using the rolled(not instant) lately becaue it takes less time to prepare. They each are excellent.

Monday, April 06, 2009, 9:53 AM

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I like my oats to have some texture, and be slime free, so use this method. It takes a little more time to toast the oats, but it adds a lot of flavor, and I only do it once a week, using a wide skillet, then store the toasted oats for later use. You can use the cooking method without toasting the oats and have good results, too.

For 1 serving:

1/2 c regular rolled oats
pinch salt
boiling water

Heat a small pan on med-high heat - don't use non-stick. Add oats and toast, stirring, until they are lightly browned. I stop when the "little" crumbs are quite dark. Depending on your pan, you will not have to stir all the time - you will learn how much - but watch it until you know!

Remove from heat and sprinkle on the salt, then carefully add 1/2 cup boiling water. It will sputter and spatter - be careful! I do it over the sink. Then add a scant 1/4c more boiling water. This will also depend on how heavy your pot is, and how low you can simmer the oatmeal: high simmer, light pot will need a bit more water, low simmer, heavy pot will need less water. You should not stir! Do so only if there are dry oats after you add the water.

Cover and replace on the burner and simmer on very low for 5 minutes. Do not stir!

Leaving lid on, turn off heat and allow to stand for 5 minutes more. Fluff and eat this really yummy toasty oatmeal.

Variations:
* As I said before, toast a weeks worth of oats at one time, to save time in the morning.
* Add a handful of raisins or other dried fruit just before you turn off the heat: Do not stir!
* I really like this mixed with scrambled egg whites made with lots of pepper, for a protein rich oatmeal breakfast.
* The original recipe called for toasting the oats in a bit of butter - and it's good that way, though I like the butter free version just as well.

For more servings, the rule of thumb is 1 and a scant 1/2 times as much water as oats. The more servings you make the less extra water you need to add - probably because not as much percentage steams away. I just make sure that the oats are barely covered.

Tuesday, April 07, 2009, 11:24 AM

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Who knew?? Oats are so bloody complex!

Wednesday, April 08, 2009, 9:49 PM

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The post about cooking the oats for an hour made me laugh out loud. I have to wait an hour to eat and my payoff is oatmeal?!?! That's just really funny to me!

Wednesday, April 08, 2009, 10:08 PM

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Easy Steel Cut Oats

There's less processing involved with steel cut oats. When you don't flatten the grain, you're keeping more of the nutrients intact instead of cooking some of them off in the thermogenic reaction caused by applying pressure to the grain.

Increasing pressure equals an increase in heat.

Anyhow, if you want to choose steel cut instead of quick or rolled oats, there's an easy way to prepare them using an electric rice cooker.

I use a 3-cup capacity electric rice cooker. I add water, salt, and other seasonings to the oats in the cooking pot of the rice cooker. Then I start the machine, leave the lid off to avoid boil-over, and go for a run, hit the gym, or get ready for work.

In 30-40 minutes, the oats are done cooking. Just stir and scoop the oats into your breakfast bowl or storage container. At the point during which you'll be stirring your oats, you can also add fresh fruits or a raw egg. The heat in the cooker just after it finishes cooking will be enough for you to seamlessly add egg without major curdling. It will also help to plump dried fruits like raisins, prunes, et cetera.

Thursday, December 10, 2009, 11:17 AM

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make oatmela in rice cooker

I just discovered steel cut oats and love them! I also just found an easy way to make them. I just purchased a rice cooker that has a brown rice setting. I use 4 cups of water and 1 cup of oats. I set the time the night before and wake up to warm, delicious oats. I generally add any combination of cinnamin, little brown sugar, banana or blueberries and mix around. I love waking up to the smell and it also provides good left overs for other days!

Thursday, December 31, 2009, 1:12 PM

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Serving Size for Regular Rolled Oats

When a serving size of rolled oats is mentioned, some sites state this is a 'dry' measurement, and others don't specify. Is anyone aware of whether rolled or steel cut oat servings are always measured according to the dry product, and not to the cooked product? The Bodybugg site says I'm supposed to eat 1-1/2 cups of oatmeal for breakfast. I'm certainly hoping this is a cooked measurement!

BTW, I buy fresh Regular Rolled Oats in a number 10 can at the LDS Family Canning facility. They are wicked inexpensive (about $2 per can for 31-1/2 cup servings) compared to store bought, and show the same nutritional value as steel cut oats, so I stock up.

Friday, February 05, 2010, 11:51 AM

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nutritional value comparison (4/4/08)

Sorry, but that doesn't make sense. If the nutrients are based upon dry volume, ie: 2 g. fiber per 1/4 cup, etc., that is you end up with! The added water that causes the swelling doesn't alter nutritive content, right?

Link

Wednesday, April 07, 2010, 9:22 AM

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High cholesterol level? Eat oatmeal.

Oatmeal leaves a sludge for a while in the digestsive tract that reduces somewhat the amount of cholesterol absorbed from cholesterol containing foods that are eaten. That is how oatmeal and cheerios help to reduce cholesterol levels.



Wednesday, April 07, 2010, 9:40 AM

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